Arsenal blew a 2-goal lead for the second time in 5 days and Mikel Arteta missed a last second penalty as we drew 3-3 with Fulham on Saturday.

Giroud powered home a head before Podolski made it 2-0 inside 25 minutes but how many Gooners can honestly say they felt comfortable with the scoreline? Even at 2-0 you knew this Arsenal team would struggle to see the game out and sure enough Fulham were level before half time. Both goals coming from simple defensive errors.

Then, the visitors took the lead after Arteta hauled down Ruiz in the area and Berbatov calmly slotted home. It took for us to be 3-2 behind to finally start playing with some urgency and Giroud levelled with a decent header on 69 minutes.

We had over 20 minutes to find a winner and were given the perfect opportunity when awarded a generous penalty in the fourth minute of added time. Arteta, who was having his worst game in an Arsenal shirt stepped up ahead of Giroud – a striker on a hat trick – and saw his effort saved. Why on earth did Arteta take that penalty?!!?!

3-3 it finished and there is something seriously wrong with Arsenal FC. We are so weak mentally and defensively it’s a joke. Many thought Steve Bould was the answer, but he clearly isn’t. Arsene Wenger….time to start earning that £7m-a-year salary and sort this out sharpish.

Arsenal Ratings

Mannone – 6 – Should have done better with the second but made some decent stops to keep us in it.

Sagna – 5 – Awful first half and left Berbatov alone to head home their first but got forward well in the last 30 minutes to support the attack.

Mertesacker – 5 – Played his part in another disastrous defensive display from Arsenal. Not the worst culprit but we expect much better from a guy with such experience.

Koscielny – 6 – Was also at fault for Fulham’s first but made two excellent blocks in the second half.

Vermaelen – 6 – Like his team mates, terrible for the first 60 minutes but really got forward in search of the equaliser and subsequent winner.

Arteta – 4 – Worst performance in an Arsenal shirt. Easily. Lost possession countless times, passing was off and lost possession in his own box which forced him to bring down Ruiz for their third. Compounded his misery by missing a last minute penalty to win the game. He will be back, and fair play for stepping up to take the spot kick, but Giroud should have taken it.

Coquelin – 6 – At least he showed some effort to get the ball back when he was on the pitch. Subbed inside 60 minutes.

Cazorla – 5 – Another quiet game. Our creative hub has gone missing in recent games and i hope it’s just fatigue that’s the problem.

Walcott – 7.5 – Two excellent assists for Giroud and once again showed how important his pace and movement is to our attacking play.

Podolski – 6 – Nice movement to get on the end of Arteta’s cut-back for his goal, but otherwise pretty quiet again.

Giroud – 8.5 – Best performance at Arsenal so far. Two superb headers and went close to adding a third late on. Should have demanded the ball for the penalty, hopefully vice-captain Arteta pulled rank on him and it wasn’t a case of Giroud didn’t fancy it.

Subs:

Ramsey – 5 – Came on, got booked, fouled twice more and was close to being sent off.

Oxlade-Chamberlain – 5 – Didn’t see as much of the ball as he’d have liked after replacing Walcott with 10 minutes left.

This was in fact a home game !!) … against another average, well organised, hard working team – who know they always have a chance against Wenger’s same again Arsenal. Every away team at the Emirates knows how to play us. Ever considered whether our Manager has the slightest clue about … player purchases, player utilisation, player motivation and … a thing called tactics ?? Roll on 2014.

Yes Chris, have considered it just like real Madrid, AC Milan to name a few other clubs who have tried to lure him away.
What you dont seem to understand is the fact that other teams have just as much right as Arsenal to be winning. Look at West Ham and how we thrashed them at their place…look where they are tonight…just another average team?
When are you club,board,owner,manager and players knockers going to wake up and realise that any team in the premier league can beat the other one?
Ive asked you so many times Chris but never get answers but I will try yet again.
Where are you going to find the money to buy out the board, current contracts, new players? Can you name the new board, owner, manager and players?
You really do live in cloud cuckoo land!!!

pls sack wenger. Not because he’s not a good coach but because he dont just know wat it take anymore to deal with the board and move the club forward. Pls dont get me wrong, the board cannot sack him but i strongly believe that the fans can. Just boycot all the home matches henceforth and things will turnaround for arsenal. hillwood, gazidi, wenger, kronke are suffering from illusion and not d players.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha………………………………….. This is the worst mistake in my life to have joined arsenal when wenger is still there, i am in a way thinking that Arsenal fans in ENGLAND have been bribed. What is holding them from chanting against Wenger and the managements? Does it mean that ARSENAL fans in England cant talk or what??????????? infact bye bye to Arsenal, i am heading to Chelsea until Wenger leaves…. byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Stupidity will keep you from questioning what’s wrong and be just gullible and blind not to see what’s wrong but to continue to blindly support a failing method and management. Fans who LOVE the club will not tolerate this crap management for 7 long years. Only fake fans like you will swallow all this rubbish without question.

@ arsenal 1970, please talk to them, they thinks they are more committed than me, i love arsenal more than my wife, like my wife always ask me , anyway let the true ARSENAL fANS STAY and support wenger and the management until we goes beyond Liverpool.

The Arsenal players are really expecting something from Arsenal fans, let us stop disappointing the players and act fast. I mean the fans in England should help the players and chant for a change in England. please we are really really really really disappointed with the fans in engalnd. I have lost my friend on a heart attack during arsenal ve Fulham in Malaysia today.

A sane manager cannot be playing a bad player like Ramsey in his team. Now tell me, if wenger is sane, why will every arsenal play be playing the ball backwards. No arsenal player can initiate attack. Even carzola does nothing. I just miss Rosicky and Fabregas. Mannone is not a goal keeper, just a puppet.

What a sad bunch of whiners you lot are. Fulham played well and the penalty save was really good….that happens. Stop whining and moaning about your Club…if you don’t like their play, go elsewhere….the Chavs or the Spuds love hypocrites.

so i guess every team that plays well is supposed to take points off us, you say stop whining yet it is the ones whining that want to see change, just sutting and accepting poor performance after poor performance is doing nothing for us, people have a right to their opinion but you are in no position to tell someone they should suppport another club, if you want to accept mediocrity be my guess but me and others like me will continue tomoan and question this team integrity until performances improve

lol ur moaning isn’t going to make the performances improve, so why are u moaning? fair enough be upset but go live your life dnt waste ur energy being negative, and use it positively to either support the team or support a team with glory because u sound like 1 of those fans

Agreed topgooner. I get constant stick for supporting Arsenal, “selling best players” or “throwing away games from 2-0 or 4-0 up” or “the 8-2 loss” blah blah. Being a life long gunner from South Africa there really isnt much us fans here can do. I cant affect their performances or affect who wenger puts in the line-up or his tactics. Like most/all fans I get bleak/upset when performances arent up to scratch or we throw away games. But all I can do is keep supporting them and hope things turn around and we start playing like the top club we are. Granted moaning on these sites is a way to vent peoples frustrations but ultimately doesnt affect the situation at arsenal. Would I like to see top proven players arrive and win trophies, definately. I even want wenger gone, his time has passed! will it ever happen? i dont know but I can hope, afterall its just a game. If supposed “lifelong fans” decide to leave because of the way the club is at the moment then by all means leave, No1 wants fake fans like that anyway! Come on Gunners!!!

Its time for the club management to revisit their ignorance to the speed decaying of arsenal standard. Feeling so sorry for the fans over there in England, but u can do more (u the English fans) by making ur voices heard. Those players are just professionals and won’t come out to explain their stand on all this happenings. Our players are good injury or no injury. They just lack the necessary motivation to play. Being paid less when their fellow players in other teams earn twice their wages. U see chelsea, Man U, Man City grinding results even when they are playing badly, They focus and throw their body at all challenges simply because they know they are paid well to do so. Am not amazed seeing this lackluster performance from our boys. How can arteta , carzola, sagna, kocienly vermaelen be earning less than. 80,000£ a week with the quality they possess. That’s no motivation. That’s one very thing I respect Man U and fergie for. My English gooners fans. Make ur voice heard enough is enough. This machines whom we use to love their entertaining foot ball even though they are not winning need a lot more than they earn to service them selves. Gooners for life

Ramsey changed the game when he came on because his energy and movement got Arsenal going. The game is about pass and move- not pass and walk around. Remember the Flamini, Rosicky, Hleb, Fabregas team?

Arteta and Cazorla are not Center Mids and defensively poor as well. Ramsey, Wilshire, Diaby and Rosicky have the energy, power and stamina to play the way of old. The Ox may develop that way too.

Play Cazorla up front and wide with Wally in the middle and the Ox on the other side. Let’s get some drive and energy back into the midfield.

What a shame. All u do is come online and cry on blogs like cowards! Wil wenger or the board read dis blog? No disrespect to arsenal blogs, BUT U FANZ IN LONDON, instead of whining about, grow a pair and LEAVE A BANNER AT THE EMIRATES b4 matches, THEN GO HOME TO SEE THE MATCH ON TV!

Something is wrong with Arsenal? That’s a good one! Where have you been for the last 5 to 7 years. If Arsenal squad with players like Nasri, Fabregas , Song, Clichy, Adebayor, and RVP couldn’t come close to mounting a challenge for the league , what on Earth makes you think that this sorry squad van. There hadn’t been a top European club in the history of football that sold their best players five years running , and remained competitive. That is the word right? , competitive. No one with their feet planted firmly on this planet thinks this Arsenal squad has what it takes to win the league , but please!, tease us at least. We have gotten used to being title teased by Arsenal and Wenger, who keeps saying there’s enough talent within the squad to win. We have been able to play with the big clubs and get results in the past , only to squander it against lesser clubs. Now we have to battle lesser squads who look on even footing with once mighty Arsenal. Once you get tagged being vulnerable , every club in the league is looking to take advantage . Wenger knows this Arsenal is lacking talent, that’s why he treats his players with kid gloves. You can come down hard on a underperforming squad if they have loads of potential , but you can’t be to harsh with an average player for being average.

Tom,just refresh my memory please…
Did Fabregas state he wanted to leave and refused new contract?
Did Nasri?
Did Clichy?
Did Adebayour?
Did Hleb?
Did Flamini?
Did the biggest Judas of all Van Persie?

Arsene has said so many times that he didnt want to lose them, but you would have let them rot in the reserves and lose roughly £100,000,000 in transfer fees.
Or would you have made them stay, play them and watch them give nothing to the club while collecting their wages?
PLEASE collect the facts before comenting on “average players”. Apart from Mannone every player on Saturday was an international.
It was Arteta who gave away the penalty and then missed one. It was Mannone who palmed the ball into the net. It is Steve Boulld who is managing the defensive angle and everyone said it was the signing of the season when he was employed.
wenger makes mistakes just like every other manager but one thing he does do is defend his team, just like Ferguson. Why do we never see him under pressure when his team play badly? Yes I know they win things, but they also have real supporters who never waiver, pity some so called arsenal supporters dont do the same.

as much as walcott is effective (assists), he is just as detrimental to the team with his limitations.
Arsenal is no longer dynamic because we lack proper footballers. most of our players have significant limitations that make them easy to nullify. the players dont compliment each other.

it’s glaringly obvious we need some proper wingers and some players who can dribble. yes, dribble, period.

Why do the team look lethargic? Either they are overworked in training or they are not physically. Wenger should do some thing about. The defence pass back and pass around without urgency even when we were level, as if telling one another you take the responsibility to get the ball forward. But, when the ball is passed back to the goalkeeper we always loose the ball from the goalkeeper’s clearance. Opponents have studid our game so well. It’s time to change the formation and put more urgency in the game. Opponents have surprised us and we haven’t with our stereotype play.

How can anyone complain about fans complaining. The worst start to a season in 18 years and on a dreadful run of form. How can anyone who cares about the club be happy about that ? Obviously comments such as the one made by the guy who’s switching to Chelsea are just embarrassing for whoever makes them. He’s saying look at me, I will just support whoever is top of league and don’t understand what it means to be a true fan. Podolski, Cazorla, Ramsey and Vermaelen have all been terrible recently. The only players that have played to the Arsenal standard are Giroud and Walcott.

if Arsenal had won yesterday’s match,it would have been a difference version of comments on here,,for crying out loud_ stop whining and mourning on here..it wont solve a damn thing..supporting a potentially beautiful and talented AFC with Wenger and KROENKE included is wholly frustrating…Wenger playing players off their position and Kroenke so content that we have a future in two years when we are in a freefall…

Diabolical!!! this isnt a one off game its been happenning for over 2 years now.. however, we have always had someone to drag us out of the mire.. henry, fabregas, van persie..There are some naive supporters on here.. They need to wake up from their brainwashed deluded minds because there is a big crisis going on at the beautiful emirates.. If, and its a big if, we can manage to put a winning run together we might get into the top 4 before Xmas and then buy a quality centre half defensive midfielder and striker , yo keep us there.. otherwise top 4 will end up 8th if we are lucky?!?!?!?! This isn’t a whinge-it’s someone talking sense that is passionate about arsenal!!!!!

I wonder hw u managed do give vermaelen a 6 and metesacker 5,vermaelen has been our worst defender all season and its nt going to get better,wenger has lost it clearly,we blow leads nt cos our defence is fragile,bt cos the midfield does nt give our defence adequate protection,arteta,ramsey,cazorla,saying not enough steel in them is flattering,there’s none at all,we started conceding goals wen we lost our only man of steel in midfield,ironically he is always injured,abou diaby,and for arsene wenger nt to see this says a lot about his abilities to read a match,his continuos playing of ramsey wen evry one knows dat u dont need much to get d ball frm ramsey,jst a little pressure and he concedes possession.the answer to our midfield problem,at least temporarily,throw in emmanuel frimpong,a mountain of a player,he’ll gv our midfield some steel.

Somethins is very very wrong with the defencive side. Compared to other teams, Arsenal defend like school girls. But why? Comparing player to player, Arsenals’ Koscielny, Mertesacker, Vermaelen and Sagna are world class defenders, capable of defending agaist anyone. But why are the put in a shadow by the likes of Huth, Shawcross and even Michael Turner? Bad coaching? Bad communication? Bringing in better defenders isn’t an option, since there are few better than the ones already at the club, so what must it take to fix this? World class players making such bad mistakes, it must be man management or extremely poor coaching and tactics!

Honestly something is wrong with wenger and the rest of the players the board inclusive. why is always benching Arshavin ahead of podolski? with the way they are going top 4 is not within reach, he should tell himself the truth.

The supporters of Arsenal only hope for a draw or lost in every game. Has the prime time of Arsenal been starting to lose & following the path of Leeds? Brazilians footballers are unfit for Gunners.Why?Arsenal sells good players but replace with worst players in premier league.Mr Arsene Wenger should consult a Psychiatrist for failure of Great Arsenal for nearly a decade.

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